Different Path, Same Destination
by Kagehana.Tsukio
Summary: In another world, a certain letter never managed to make its way into the hands of a certain then-Lt. Colonel. In this world, a certain Elric brother never joined the military, but still managed to change just as many lives. How will things turn out after this new change of events, with the same people, different relations, and whole new perspectives?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: SO. I know that I should probably be working on my other story (coughONLYotherstorycough) but I had MAJOR writers block for it and I also spent half the summer in Korea with no wifi doing Tae Kwon Do training. In 40-something degrees Celsius. So yeah. But then while I was reading ****"Truth Revealed" by Fallen Crest**** today, which, by the way if you haven't read yet you should go read, I was inspired by a comment in one of the chapters by Havoc, where he says: "Never meet Chief and Al? Sounds like a boring time." So here it is. Also, just a warning. Some parts might be slightly different to what you might know from the anime because I might sorta blend in parts from the 2003 anime. **

Summary: In another world, a certain letter never managed to make its way into the hands of a certain then-Lt. Colonel. In this world, a certain Elric brother never joined the military, but still managed to change just as many lives. How will things turn out after this new change of events, with the same people, different relations, and whole new perspectives?

XXXXXXXXXX

It was a simple accident.

That day, the poor mailman could have gotten more sleep in a different universe, but in this case, it was unfortunate that his neighbors had held a late-night party the night before, thus making him get less sleep. So, it was with a tired countenance that the mailman went about his job of bringing various letters to their destinations. Through his sleepiness, he didn't notice one small, insignificant letter slip out of his bag and fall onto the ground.

In another place, this letter would have made its way into the hands of a certain Lt. Colonel in the Military, prompting him to go to a small backwater town in the country in search of what he would think is a promising alchemist. In that place, the Lt. Colonel would succeed in his endeavor to recruit that person into the military, thus changing millions of lives. But that wouldn't happen. And so, Fate changed, and Destiny set out a new path ahead.

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Brother, there's something strange here."_

"_Al!" _

"_It can't be…a rebound?!"_

"_Brother! Ed! HELP!"_

"_AL!" _

_White. Blankness…A gate?_

_-Hello-_

"_Who are you?"_

_-Oh, I'm so glad you asked that! I am called by many names, I am the world; I'm the universe. I'm God; I am Truth. I am all, I am one, and I am also…you."_

_handsdarknesslightpicturesmomdadalpainpainpaINPAIN PAINPAIN_

"_Stop! It's too much make it STOP!"_

_Woosh. Blankness once more._

_-How was it?-_

"_Yeah. My theory wasn't wrong. But it's missing something. What I seek was just ahead…the truth about human transmutation. Please, show it to me again!"_

_-I can't I can only show you this much for the toll you've paid- _

_confusion_

"_Toll?"_

_-Yes, toll- _

_Shockrealizationhorror_

_-It's the law of equivalent exchange, right, young alchemist-_

_whitewhitewhitePAIN_

"_AAAH!"_

_Frustrationsadness_

"_Damn! This can't be happening!"_

_desperation_

"_It wasn't supposed to…damn it all! It's been taken away!"_

_tearstears__**hope**_

"_Help! Someone! Mom! Mom..."_

_**horrordisbeliefnononoNONO**_

"_No…this is wrong…this isn't…this isn't what we wanted! Al…Alphonse…Alphonse! ALPHONSE!" _

_tearsanguishsadness_

"_This is all my fault! Alphonse!"_

_Clatter. Armourhopedetermination_

"_Damn it. Damn it!"_

_bloodmetalarray_

"_Give him back! He's my little brother!"_

_tearsangerfury_

"_Take my leg! Take my arm! Take my heart! Anything!"_

"_You can have it! Just give him back! …He's my only brother!_

_Clap. _

_Determinationanger__**hopedetermination**_

"_He's all I have left!"_

_blueblueblue__**black**_

XXXXXXXXXX

_Chirp chirp. _

The sunlight filtered through as eleven-almost-twelve-year old Edward Elric sat in his wheelchair, looking out the window of his room on the second floor of the Rockbell house. A book lay on his lap, numerous pages filled with drawings of different focus. Some were of another boy who looked very similar to himself, with the same gold eyes but shorter sandy-blond hair, unlike his own hair that went to his neck and was the color of gold and the sun itself; this was Ed's younger brother, Alphonse Elric. On other pages there were pictures of other things, like simple objects that could be found around the house, or small animals such as birds or squirrels.

It had been three-almost four months since the day of the…Transmutation… had happened. Edward had been doing nothing but staying in and just outside the house, recuperating from his lost limbs, as well as exploring his newfound hobby and talent of drawing/painting. Meanwhile, Alphonse could always be seen out and about the Rockbell residence, busy doing menial chores such as chopping firewood or repairing other things. People would stop by in the beginning, simply because it was unusual to see a suit of armor doing such things, but eventually people had started to learn _not_ to mention the body, as it would lead to many unfortunate things.

Slowly after recovering, the boys had fallen into a state of semi-depression. Neither of them were exactly completely in the depths of despair, but neither were they back to their 'normal' selves.

It was on this sunny day that Ed felt an indescribable _**urge**_ to go visit his childhood house, which neither Al nor him was currently living at right now.

So, moving to the other side of the room, Ed fixed his wooden prosthetic leg and arm onto his body, and walked down the stairs and out of the house.

Waving to the other people as he made his way through the town, he finally reached his destination. Mustering up all his courage, he opened the door on the front porch and stepped in.

XXXXXXXXXX

The house hadn't changed at all in the past few months of its vacancy. Everything was still in the exact same place they were on _that day_. So, he walked towards the stairs leading to the basement of the house, also known as his fa- _that bastard's_ study.

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Ed looked upon the Circle that he and his little brother had so painstakingly made, that was also the source of their pain. Eventually moving on, he started to head towards the only desk in the room, which still held many different reference books, notebooks, and journals on it. Ed picked up the closest book, which coincidentally was one of _the bastard's _journals that he and Alphonse had made many of their own notes in.

As he slowly felt an emotion that he could only describe as _**rage**_ come across him, he through the journal across the room, letting out a shout of frustration.

Said book flew across the room, coming to a stop only as it hit a bookshelf, causing the journal and another book to fall onto the ground, open.

_Huff. Huff. Huff. _

Taking deep breathes to calm himself down after his fit rage; Ed regained his composure and walked across the room to pick up the books. Bending down, he noticed that the book that had fallen off of the bookshelf was a book called 'Known and Mythical Alchemical Artifacts: Written by Claud Duval*'. Taking a look at the page the book had fallen open to, it seemed that it was about something called "the Philosopher's Stone". It read:

"_The __**Philosopher's Stone **__is a legendary alchemical substance, also known by various other names such as 'The Sage's Stone', 'The Grand Elixir', 'The Celestial Stone', 'The Red Tincture', 'The Fifth Element', and others. Just as the Philosopher's Stone is called by many names, it can also take on many forms, not necessarily a stone. The stone is said to be capable of turning base metals (i.e. lead) into gold or silver. It is also believed to some people to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly immortality. In the early times of Alchemy, it was the most sought after goal of many alchemists, but it later faded into simply a folk legend after thousands of people failed to even manage a glimpse of the Stone. The Philosopher's Stone is also thought to be a transmutation amplifier, able to increase the alchemist's capabilities by at least ten-fold, as well as allowing the alchemist to bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange."_

After reading it, Ed could do nothing but reread the last part of the paragraph in his head, over, and over, and **over. **

'_allowing the alchemist to bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange.'_

'_**bypass**__ the law of Equivalent Exchange.'_

In a fit of sudden excitement, Edward shouted out:

"There might be a way to get Al's body back!"

With the newfound book clutched tightly in his hand, Ed ran out of the basement of his house and towards the Rockbell's.

XXXXXXXXXX

Running up the steps to the front door, Ed shouted for his brother.

"AL! Alphonse! Get over here! I found something you should see!" He slammed the door open.

"Calm down Brother. And don't slam the door like that." Al said as he came down the stairs. "What is it?"

Excitedly, Ed told his brother about what he had found. "I think this might be a way that we can get your body back!"

Alphonse was shocked. He could feel so many emotions as he thought about this new discovery his brother had made. Astonishment, happiness and excitement filled him as he smiled at his brother and said:

"You mean _our _bodies Brother. We're getting back your arm and leg too." Ed smiled back, "Yeah."

Behind the door leading to the next room, Pinako smiled. _'It seems like the boys are finally getting back to their old selves.'_

XXXXXXXXXX

And so, Destiny and Fate remained the same, but the world _changed. _

XXXXXXXX

*Claud Duval was an actual alchemist from Europe during **1643–1670**

**A/N: And this is it for the prologue of Different Path, Same Destination . Thanks for reading, and **_**please review.**_** I would love to know what you think of this and any recommendations to the story are welcome. Constructive Criticism is welcomed and any flames will be used to roast marshmallows and make smores. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey there readers! Thanks for clicking on this story. I'm really sorry that this came out so late. I had meant to have it out earlier, but then once I came back I had to deal with life and **_**school**_** and I had a bunch of homework to do along with a Biology test. So sorry about that. Thanks to ****Flamethehero, Firefly264, FemGenjo Sanzo, Seaweed Fish Girl, Ide-chan, Moonlight-girl16, SeerFlight1011, MathiassMatt, Echo Andalice, Alia Inverse, Ryn-Tak, TwinkieHunt, Himitsu no Neko, MysticMaiden 18, a Mysterious Illusion, Alierana, gamerright11, almapirata95, Ky II, LeoInuyuka****, and ****Fallen Crest**** for the favorites/ follows/ reviews! Well, I'm sure you are all tired of this by now, so on to the part you've all been waiting for!**

Summary: In another world, a certain letter never managed to make its way into the hands of a certain then-Lt. Colonel. In this world, a certain Elric brother never joined the military, but still managed to change just as many lives. How will things turn out after this new change of events, with the same people, different relations, and whole new perspectives?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist! (although I wish I did…)**

_**Different Path, Same Destination: Chapter Two**_

XXXXXXXXXX

They were eating dinner one day when Edward said:

"There's some money in the house. In the closet. That should be enough for payment."

"Wha…? Ed, what are you talking about?" Winry asked, face confused as she wondered what her friend was talking about.

"Payment for automail."

"What?!" The others were confused, shocked, and surprised. Where was this coming from?

"I found something. I went back to the house the other day," he started before being interrupted by Alphonse. "Brother, what!?" "Not now Al, just wait a minute. So like I said, I went back to the house the other day – I don't even know why myself – but I found a book there. Hey Al, have you heard of the Philospher's Stone?"

Confused, Al replied cautiously, "No, why?"

Excitedly, with a gleam in his eye, Ed recounted to his brother what he had read.

"It's said to be an alchemical substance sought after for years, but eventually faded into legend. _But_, it is also said to not only be able to turn base metals into gold or silver, it is also said to be an alchemical amplifier, able to increase the alchemist's capabilities by _at least __**ten-fold**_, as well as allowing the alchemist to _**entirely bypass**_ the law of Equivalent Exchange."

Registering the last words that his brother just said, Alphonse started to talk just as ecstatically as his brother had.

"Brother if that's true then there might be a way to get our bodies back!"

"I know Al. But the thing is, like I said, it's something that has been sought after for a long time, and still thousands of people have failed to manage even a glimpse of it. That's why I want automail. If I get automail, then we can travel around the country looking for clues on the Stone and maybe different rumors too. If we run out of money we can always do some odd jobs too. I mean, after all, like Teacher said, Alchemy is for the people."

Turning to Granny Pinako, Edward asked: "So, you think you can do it?

Pinako stared back at him, leaning back calmly in her chair smoking her pipe like usual. Finally, after blowing out a ring of smoke and heaving a great sigh, she closed her eyes in resignation.

"If we do go through with this – Sure you won't regret this?"

Eyes lit up with determination and mouth set into a grim straight line, Ed nodded in response to her question.

"Mh-hmm, I've already made up."

XXXXXXXXXX

Edward was sitting on a bed, with Alphonse, Winry and Pinako surrounding him.

"How long will the surgery and rehabilitation take?" Edward asked, directing the question towards the minute statured woman standing at his side.

"About three years." Pinako replied.

Edward breathed in deeply. "One and a half years." He declared

Winry's face slackened in shock, but just as it looked like she was about to say something, Pinako interjected.

"You're gonna be hacking blood." Pinako warned.

Ed gave a nod, before turning to his brother. "Al, hang in there for a little while longer. I'm going to get you your body back soon."

Al nodded and replied, "Mm-hmm, and when that happens, Brother, your body will be there with it."

Ed nodded and lay back down on the bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

"_Argh! Ga-Ugh!" _

"Just _bear with us_ Ed."_ – aurgh – "_It's the highest quality procedure we can do."

Winry's said, trying to comfort him as Edward gritted his teeth in pain on the bed.

_Urrhh. Argh. _

His eyes were clenched shut, bright lights flashing beneath his eyelids as he desperately tried not to scream out in pain.

"Stay out of the room Al._"_ She said commandingly.

_A gasp. SLAM. A clang of armor. Footsteps. _

'_Al? No, don't come in here. Please.' _It took all he could to think desperately.

"I'm impressed Ed. Even adults scream in this part of the operation." He could hear Granny Pinako say. "We're attaching each one of your nerves to the mechanism."

Slowly he opened his eyes. '_No….that's not right….after all….'_

"This pain's nothing...compared to what _he's _given up."

'_After all…it's my fault' _"Al lost his body and it's all my fault; he can't eat anymore; sleep; feel cold nor warmth. He's **my little brother**! I'm supposed to protect him and I did _this!_ How can he ever forgive me?"

Realization dawned on Granny Pinako's face, and Winry's face started to crumple with sadness.

"All isn't the kind of boy who would resent you for this Ed." Granny said._ 'What? No...that's…'_ "Just ask him, and I'm sure you'll see."

'_No. nononononONONO__**NO**__' _"NO! No…..I'm-I'm too afraid." Ed replied, calming down from his slight burst of hysteria. A tear slowly slipped down Ed's face. "I-I'm too scared of what he'll say."

Understanding shone in Granny's eyes, as she and Winry continued the operation.

Little did he know that a certain suit of armor had been sitting outside the closed wooden door the whole time…

XXXXXXXXXX

_BANG_.

"Hey there Roy!" A blindingly bright smile.

_Sigh. _He knew it from the moment the door was slammed open.

"What do you want _now_ Hughes?" Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang – the Flame Alchemist, Hero of Ishval, State Alchemist – said, exasperatingly towards his best friend.

"Oh nothing, just wondering how you were doing this fine day!" Major Maes Hughes said cheerily back to his best friend – _ever since the Academy days especiallyIshval – _as he grinned widely at the scowl he could see forming.

"I _was_ doing just fine, until you came in." Mustang deadpanned towards the other man who either didn't hear him or just didn't care as he kept on rambling on about his girlfriend now fiancé-to-be Gracia, then about Roy needing to get a girlfriend like always, then taking out pictures of his beloved fiancé and nagging Roy even _more_ about getting into a relationship. Finally having enough, an annoyed Mustang – with a prominent bulging vein on his forehead – kicked Hughes out of his office, to finally get back his peace and quiet.

Heaving an irritated sigh, Mustang turned to look out the window of his office – _the only good part of the room besides the couch – _and stared at the view with an emotion that he couldn't quite place. From his vantage point, Roy could see the main gates of the HQ, as well as a view of the courtyard and the sky.

_It was a very nice day,_ Roy noted, _the sky is clear and there are no clouds. It almost seems to go on forever…_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_One year and a Half later… (Ed: 13/ Al: 12)_

_Whap! Block! Smack! _

1 Ed ducked under a punch from Al, then jumped in the air to avoid a kick. He twisted and slammed his automail foot into Al's arms as the suit of armor blocked. Edward then used his momentum to flip backwards in the air and landed on his feet. He managed to throw his automail arm up just in time to block Al's fist. His automail foot came up to hit Al, who dodged. In a flurry of dust, they slammed their right arms into each other.

As the dust settled, they separated and Ed curled his automail hand into a tight fist.

"Your body is perfect now." Al said.

"Yeah! It's almost like it was before. Now for the alchemy. I haven't used it since then, after all." Edward replied, directing a smile at his brother.

"That's right, not since you transmuted my soul." Al said.

Edward took a deep breath as he held his hands out in front of him. He clapped his hands, and there was a flash of blue light.

"Brother!" Al said in shock. If he was in his real body, his jaw would have dropped to the ground.

Edward stood admiring the new blade that used to be a plate on his automail, not noticing his brother's shock. "Yeah, right on the money!"

"That's amazing Brother! You didn't even use a transmutation circle. You can do the same thing that Teacher does!"

Turning to Alphonse, Ed asked, "Al, you can do it too, right?"

"No I can't Brother."

Edward stood still for a moment, as he remembered that _thing_ that he did not want to...

"Brother?"

Edward snapped out of his reverie at his brother's questioning stare.

"Sorry. You mean you didn't see it?" he asked Al.

"See what?" Al replied, a questioning tone to his voice.

Ed took a glance at his automail. "Nothing, never mind." He said.

He looked up as he finished talking, only to see a vague shape flying towards him.

_BANG_

Not being able to react in time, Edward crouched on the ground clutching at his head as he glared at the offending smoking wrench that lay a ways away from him on the ground.

"Ooowwwww…" Ed groaned, as he waved away Alphonse from fussing over him.

"Hey!" He heard a voice shout from the direction of the house, "You've deformed my automail!"

Already knowing who it was, he turned his glare towards the porch, before shouting back, "And that makes it okay for you to deform my head!?" As he placed his hands on the ground to help lever himself back to his feet. Plain flashed across his face as he still clutched at his head with one hand.

"Good grief. You really are one uncharming gearhead."

An emotion that Edward couldn't quite place showed on Winry's face for before disappearing before he could place it.

"I'm okay with being uncharming. I'm okay with being a gearhead." She retorted angrily. "I've made up my mind to support you two until you guys get your body back."

Ed froze. "Huh?" He asked incredulously, as he turned around to give Winry an anguished stare. He could practically hear Alphonse smile amusedly behind him.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Come on Al! We have to hurry up or else we'll miss the train!" Ed shouted as he tugged on his boots at the front door.

_Sigh. _"Brother…It's your fault for getting up so late in the first place. I tried to wake you up but you kept saying five more minutes."

"Yeah yeah okay Al, _let's GO!_" he shouted as he finished putting on his boots and sprinted down the path.

"Brother wait up!"

"_See you later! Make sure you guys write!" _

The brothers made their way down the path as they waved behind them towards the two people who are almost family…

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Woooooosh!_

The cloud of smoke rose from the train as it began to start up, ready to leave the station.

"Brother we're not going to make it!" Alphonse shouted as he and Edward sprinted towards the edge of the platform.

"What are you talking about Al? Just…JUMP!" He said, as they finally reached the platform. Alphonse jumped onto the back of the train first, landing on the back platform of the train. Edward jumped almost immediately afterwards. His foot just missed the edge.

Wait.

Missed the edge?

"AAAAAAAAALLLL!" He screamed as he grasped at the air wildly, before solidly clasping hands with Al, who had ran to the edge of the platform after noticing what had happened.

The both of them collapsed onto the floor in relief.

_Pant, pant, pant. _Ed gasped for air. "That was too close for comfort."

"You're right Brother. Way to close." Al agreed, as the leaned back against each other, watching the scenery go by as the train moved across the country.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"_Damion Grey!"_

Roy watched as the next applicant walked out onto the floor.

"Please take out whatever you need to draw your transmutation circle." The examiner said, prompting the applicant – _Damion if he remembered right_ – to take out the most commonly used item, a piece of chalk.

The room lit up in a bright blue, as the applicant – _Damian he had to remember –_ preformed his transmutation.

Roy watched with dispassionate eyes. '_It looks the same as last year…The applicants are fine, good even, but not __**great**__. They aren't anyone exceptional.' _

As he sat there, watching applicant after applicant attempt to pass the famed State Alchemist Exam, he couldn't help but think that there was this feeling inside of him that something was missing…

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_DING. DING. DING. _

The bell rang on the platform as people clamored off of the train.

Edward and Alphonse walked amongst the crowd as they headed towards the exit of the station.

Five bumping-into-grown-adults-and-Edward-almost-gettin g-trampled-over minutes later, the brothers finally found themselves outside the exit of the station.

"So Brother, where exactly are we?" Alphonse asked, as they stood looking at the town around them.

"It's a town called Weimar*. It's not that far from Resembool actually, just a bit more to the east."

The brothers took off from the crowded station into the town, looking for an inn, or somewhere to stay. They passed by numerous small shops that sold shoes, clothes, etc – some that they had ended up stopping at in curiosity - before they finally came across a small café-like restaurant. Having already been walking for around one hour now, and it having been at least 4 hours since Edward last ate, the two decided to take a break and get something to eat.

"Hey Al, what do you think I should get?" Ed asked, as he looked over at his brother.  
Just as Alphonse was about to reply, the two overheard the conversation from the table next to them.

"_Hey, did you hear about what happened last night?" _

"_Oh! You mean about how that horrible gang was bothering that poor old couple again?" _

"_Yeah. I heard that they even vandalized and broke some of the windows of the inn this time!"_

"_How much longer will they keep doing this? They've been here for so long now, why don't they just move on! Those horrible people!"_

A picture started to unfold in Ed's mind. He turned to Al and asked, "Hey Al, did you hear that?"

"Yes Brother, I did." Alphonse replied. A knowing tone seeped into his voice, "Why? Do you want to do something about it?"

Ed smiled sheepishly. "Hahaha… you know me too well. Well, as Teacher always said…Alchemist's for the people right?" His smile gained a slightly mischievous glint to it as he continued, "And who knows? We might even get something out of it."

Hearing the last part, Al sighed. He should have known.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

After lunch, Ed and Al continued their search for the inn – and subsequently the old couple – in the town. Finally finding it another thirty minutes later, they headed into the inn to book a room.

"Hello," Ed said to the couple behind the counter. "I would like to book a room for two."

The old man behind the counter looked at the boys, before a surprised expression came over his face. "It's only the two of you? Where are your parents young man, little boys shouldn't be wandering around alone." The man said, completely missing Alphonse who was standing behind Ed.

A vein popped on Ed's forehead. "I'M NOT SHORT!" he shouted. _Sigh. 'Deep breathes Ed. Deep breathes.'_ He thought to himself, before he responded, "Our parents are no longer here." Letting the man draw his own conclusions as to what he meant by that.

The old man could feel a sense of sadness overcome him, so young and he had already lost both of his parents? The poor thing…

"Um hey," Edward started again, seeing the pity start to form in the man's eyes. He hated pity. "We – my brother and I – overheard something a while ago…" this startled the man into realizing the figure behind the boy. A brother? Well at least he wasn't alone then. "Something about a gang vandalizing and destroying your inn…"

This time, the sadness and weariness was evident in both of the couple's postures. Their shoulders sagged as a frown painted across the mans, while the woman's eyes seemed to spill over with tears almost instantly.

"Yes… for some reason those hooligans won't stop bothering us." The owner said heavily, "We've never done anything to them before, and for some reason one day they just came out of nowhere, threatening us to give them our inn. But this inn has been passed through my family for generations, there's no way I can give this up." He almost cried in despair.

Ed sneaked a glance towards Al, as they caught each other's eyes, a message passing between them. Giving a minute nod, Edward turned back to the depressed couple.

"Hey old man," he said, catching their attention once more. "If we can catch these 'gangsters', and stop them from doing this anymore, will you let us stay here for free?".

The elderly couple was shocked. "But your only children!" the old woman burst out, unwilling to let them get injured for their sake.

A grin spread across Ed's face. "So is that a yes?" The couple could only stare, before the old man sighed. He could recognize that look in the child's eyes. It was determination. Pure I-won't-stop-until-I-get-this determination. "Okay." The old woman looked like she was about to burst out in protest again, but the man held out a hand to stop her. "If you can stop them, you won't have to pay for the room rental. But be careful."

The brothers, who had turned to leave the hotel in pursuit of the gang the minute the couple said yes, turned back around.

"Don't worry," Alphonse said – shocking the couple again because of his young voice, "We're martial artists, and Alchemists. We'll be fine."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_BANG!_

The doors of the warehouse _flew_ and crashed into the opposite wall of the building, causing a giant cloud of dust to blow up.

"Yo!" A loud voice rang out through the cloud.

The people crouching inside of the warehouse squinted, and after a few minutes, they could finally make out the shape of two figures, one big and the other tiny in comparison.

The smaller figure stepped forward. "Hey you guys! How 'bout you just give yourselves up! Then no one has to get hurt!"

One (particularly idiotic) member of the gang laughed. "Ha! Get hurt? Us? By you? Think again pipsqueak! Just try!"

_Pop. _The larger figure sighed. Oh dear. It seemed like he would have to do some cleanup again.

"…WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE HIM WITH A MICROSCOPE!" Edward burst out screaming as he lunged at the nearest person, fists headed straight towards the person's face.

And with that, the whole entire warehouse burst into chaos.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Ed ducked under the retaliating fist that came from the first person hi hit, before lashing out with a kick, knocking the person's legs out from under them causing them to fall crashing into the person behind him. Then, he span around and threw his right arm – the automail one mind you – into a strong right hook smashing it straight into the teen who was standing behind him with a crowbar, barely remembering to restrain his strength, sending him flying into another 3 gang members.

As he backed up a few steps, now back-to-back with his little brother who had also defeated a good five gang members – he was so proud, Al always _was_ better than him in hand-to-hand – they watched closely as the rest of the gang formed a circle around them, most having some form of weapon in hand. Edward could see crowbars, pipes, even a few pocketknives and switchblades here and there. It really _was_ a good thing that Teacher had taught them how to handle weaponry and people with them if you didn't have anything… Not that they should be in that position anyway.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, one member of the gang charged forwards at Ed with a yell, swinging his metal pipe downwards in hope of hitting him, leading the rest of the gang into a charge towards them.

Ed quickly side-stepped, grabbing hold of the boy's wrist and flipping him in the air, straight into the other person who Al had tossed over as well. _Duck! _He crouched towards the ground, ducking under a swipe of the knife, before launching a quick jab with his left – _flesh – _hand straight into the solar plexus, before sending him packing with a kick and using the resulting force of impact to jump into the air with a split, kicking straight outwards into another two gangsters faces. _Crash! _That was another four members down from getting knocked into. _Wow these people really had no sense of coordination between them_, Ed though idly as he landed in a crouch from his jump, then rose up into a spinning back kick straight into the gut of a teen who had just been about to lunge into Al, letting the momentum and additional speed from his spin add to the force behind his already heavy kick. _Smack!_ He could see Alphonse out of the corner of his eye, Al having just knocked unconscious another poor teen who had been about to attack Ed with a crowbar.

The two brothers were in total synch, while at the same time fighting individually. They would fight on their own, completely dominating an exchange of at least 3 on 1, but would not let that stop them from handling other gang members who thought that they could get either brother from behind. When one noticed someone about to attack from a blind spot of the other, they would swiftly put an end to that before continuing on with their own fights.

Before long, around half an hour later, Ed and Al had finished defeating the gang. Looking none too worse for wear, they rounded up the teens (read: tied them all up) and led them towards the center of the town.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"_Amazing! They managed to catch them!" _

"_They really did it! We don't have to worry about it anymore!" _

Ed and Al could hear the whispers around them as they led the captured gang to the crowd of villagers in the middle of the town.

As they came to a stop, the crowd quieted. "Well," Ed started, "Here they are. We managed to beat them…not that it was very hard." He finished with a mutter.

As if breaking out of a trance, the villagers slowly started to cheer, shouting that they have been saved, thanking the two and asking their names.

"It was no problem." Stated Alphonse gently. "I'm Alphonse Elric, and this is my big brother Edward."

"Wow! How did you manage to beat them?" One man asked, "That gang has been giving us trouble for years, and no matter what none of us managed to stop them."

A murmur of agreements rang out from the rest of the villagers. Turning to give a smile to his little brother, Ed said with a grin: "Well, we _are_ trained martial artists, under a great teacher. And if that wasn't enough we are alchemists. Both of us."

Shocked exclamations rang out from numerous villagers as others stared at the young brothers in shock Alchemists? These kids? Soon after two children, brother and sister, ran out of the crowd up to them.  
The little girl's eyes sparkled as she looked up at Edward and Alphonse and exclaimed, "Wow mister! That's so cool! You must be super strong since you beat those bad people!" The brother nodded in agreement as he held on to Al's leg. "Yeah! You guys are heroes!"

This set off another round of whispering through the crowd as even more children ran up to the brothers. An alchemist a hero? Ever since Ishval, the term _alchemist_ was synonymous with the word _murderer. _But if it was these two kids…just maybe that would change.

Another man, just in earshot of where Ed and Al were as they entertained the children who had come up to them with hero worship in their eyes, made a statement as he kept his eyes on the two boys who had saved them. "Alchemists for the People huh?" Ed and Al, hearing the statement turned to face the man. "That's what our Teacher always taught us." Alphonse commented. Surprised at hearing something directed to him, the man couldn't say anything except, "Huh?"

"Alchemy is for the people. That is something that our Teacher taught us, and told us to never forget." Ed stated.

This made the crowd talk amongst themselves about these interesting alchemist brothers who saved their town. A few minutes later, an elderly man stepped forward from the rest of the villagers.

"Thank you young men," The elder said in a sincere tone, "You truly are heroes."

Once he said that, numerous people – men, women, everyone – started coming up to Ed and Al, wanting to thank them, but they were stopped, by none other than Alphonse himself.

Al held up his hands in a gesture to stop the overflowing appreciation and shook his head as he said, "N no. We aren't heroes, just travelers." Edward just looked to the side with a slight flush across his face, neither agreeing, nor disagreeing with what his little brother said.

The elder was speechless. _Such selflessness…_ he thought as he smiled. "Indeed. Well, then as a thank you from all of us, at the very least let us host a dinner for you."

The brothers shared a glance before turning back to him. "Oh, thanks then!" Ed said with an easy smile on his face. "That would be appreciated, right Al?" Al nodded.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_4 Days later…_

"_GOODBYE EDWARD! GOODBYE ALPHONSE!"_ The villagers shouted towards the back of the train as it left the station, the kids of the group being the loudest.

During the feast and the last few days that the brothers had stayed in the town, most of the villagers had become fond of them, almost as if they had been raised in that town. It might have had something to do with growing up in a place that was fairly similar, if a bit _more_ rural, but some of the older villagers had begun treating Ed and Al as if they were children of the town, and the kids had begun treating the brothers as older siblings.

On the train, Ed and Al were sitting in their seat, watching the scenery go by as the train sped across the country. All of a sudden – for some reason never realizing this before, Alphonse sat up straighter in his seat before turning to Ed.

"Brother?" he asked, with a questioning lilt to his voice.

Ed turned. "Yeah? What's the problem Al?" he asked, slightly surprised at the question after Alphonse had been quiet for so long.

"I'm just wondering, where exactly are we going to go now?"

Ed was startled. Now that he thought about it…what exactly were they going to do now?

"That's…a good question. Well, I guess we could just travel for now. We can go from the East most city, to the West, and then from the North to the South. And then we find clues and rumors of the…_Stone_ along the way, we can investigate those rumors, and any other we find that might help us too." He replied. It was a solid plan, it allowed them to travel and find clues on how to get their bodies back, without limiting them to only things on the Stone. It also meant that they could follow their Teacher's footsteps - _in more ways than one, not that they knew that – _by travelling and helping the people in their country that needed help.

Al nodded at hearing this. "It seems like a good idea." He agreed. Al then took out a map, opening it so that both he and Edward could see it properly.

"Ok then. Let's see…" Al trailed off, trying to find something on the map. "…the town furthest to the East is…Youswell. It's a mining town. We'll just have to get off at the last stop then. Is that okay Brother?" Al paused, expecting a response from Ed.

However, there was no response.

"Brother?" Worried, Al lowered the map, and peered over to the other seat. There was Ed, lying down on the train bench fast asleep, and snoring at that.

_Sigh. _"Brother…"

Al shook his head – if he still had his body a wry smile would be twisting his lips right now – with a nostalgic feeling ringing through him, and put the map away, before settling down in his seat and looking out the window once more.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Time Skip: 1 ½ years (Ed: 14 ½ / Al: 13 ½ )_

_Location: Central _

"Al hurry up! We're almost there!"

Edward swerved through the crowd, taking advantage of his small stature (that he would never admit to) as he and his brother ran as fast as they could do the station.

"Brother! I told you to wake up but you wouldn't listen! See what happens!" And like always, Alphonse ran after his brother as they ran to catch their train.

As they finally reached the final block before the station, Ed turned the corner before impacting with something and falling to the ground.

"Oof!" Ed let out as he hit the ground. He had accidentally run into someone the moment he came around the corner. "Oh man!" Ed exclaimed, not immediately noticing the person in front of him. "We're gonna be late for sure now!" Finally noticing someone in front of him, Ed quickly got up, held his hand out and apologized.

"I'm sorry I ran into you. I should have been looking in front of me but my brother and I are in a rush 'cause we need to catch our train and-" Ed stopped mid-sentence, cutting himself off as he realized that he was rambling. As he paused, he also realized that the person who had had run into hadn't responded.

Looking up at the person – since he had been looking at the ground the whole time as he was saying his apologies earlier – he slowly started paling as he took in just what his eyes were seeing, also not quite wanting to believe it.

The person was wearing a pair of – what seemed to be tanned leather – sandals, along with a pair of dark green capris and a white blouse that's back extended into something resembling coat tails.

The person – now obviously of the female gender upon closer inspection – had long black hair that was put into dreadlocks, along with a flamel tattoo on her collarbone. She had a (deceptively) young looking face, along dark eyes and contrasting fair skin.

Quickly recovering – but still pale in the face – Ed blurted out, "Once again _I'msosorryIranintoyou,_" as he span on his heel, before shouting over his shoulder, "_WegottagonowBYE!"_ before he grabbed hold of Alphonse – who had just caught up to him – and sprinting away back around the corner once more.

Before he could even back around the next corner, he could hear the footsteps coming from behind him…

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The woman sat on the ground as she stared up at the boy in front of her, slightly disbelieving what she was seeing, no matter what rumors – _about two young boys (Elric) travelling across the country, helping the people (just like she had always taught __**them**__ too- _she heard on her travels.

Before she realized it the two figures in front of her were already moving away from her as fast as they could. With only a moment's pause, the woman stood back up and brushed off the dust and dirt that had gathered onto her clothes when she fell. Then, she took off, leaving an almost-cloud of dust behind her. She chased after the brothers, eyes flashing ominously with more than just a hint of evil, and a promise of pain in them.

In front of her, the brothers felt a chill go down their necks.

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Brother, why are we running?" Alphonse asked as Ed pulled him away, ignoring the odd chill that he somehow felt a moment ago despite the fact that he had no body at the moment.

Edward said nothing and did nothing but continue moving.

Hearing the sound of footsteps chasing them starting to get louder and louder behind them as they ran, Ed turned over his shoulder to look behind him for a scant moment, only to turn back around immediately after and start running even faster than before – no longer as if they were getting chased by the devil, but rather as if they were being chased by Hell itself.

"Hurry up Al!" he screamed desperately. "She's catching up to us!"

Edward panted as he and Al eventually turned yet another corner – _it had already been, what, at least half an hour since this chase of cat-and-mouse had started, _thought Ed - in a wild attempt to escape the person ('**demon'** they both thought privately) chasing them. Then, they came to a sudden stop – as this was a freaking _dead end_ right when they did not need it most – Edward started the motion to clap so that they could maneuver themselves onto the roofs in order to escape.

Edward tried not to panic, that would just slow him down, and he couldn't afford to do that, not with Alphonse standing behind him with that gesture of _**trust**_as he let Ed do what he wanted to save them, but just as he was about to perform the transmutation, a set of footsteps started to ring about in the alleyway.

_Clop, clop, clop…clop. _The footsteps slowed before coming to a stop.

Coming out of the position he had frozen into the minute he heard the other sound in the alley, Ed slowly turned around along with Al to face the entrance of the alleyway that shone with light.

They were tensed with apprehension, as the brothers steeled themselves and their nerves to face the person that they _knew_ was standing there.

Strengthening his resolve, Edward stepped forward a little, so that he was slightly in front of his little brother.

"H-h-hehehe," He laughed nervously, –_gulp– _"N-nice to s-see you again…" he stuttered, before finally managing to get out – _his final words– _the rest of his sentence,

"…Teacher."

For there, standing in the light that was spilling into the alleyway from the entrance, stood Izumi Curtis – housewife, butcher, alchemist, and teacher – in all her glory, a feral grin decorating her face (with her ever-loyal husband Sid standing behind her).

**XXXXXXXXXX**

*Weimar is an actual town in current day Germany. It is located in the federal state of _Thuringia_ of Germany, and is famous for its cultural heritage

**A/N: AND DOOOOONEEEE!FINALLY! 5890 words people. Seriously. 5980 words. **


End file.
